


Don't leave

by LG_Consor



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Angst, F/F, Inspired by Art
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-18
Updated: 2015-06-18
Packaged: 2018-04-05 00:13:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4158306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LG_Consor/pseuds/LG_Consor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inspired by pixlbender‘s <a href="http://pixlbender.tumblr.com/post/119839244585/dont-leave">amazing piece of fanart 
</a></p><p>Still Avatar-verse, but sort of AU as I took the liberty to blend in modern bits. Korra‘s outfit which looks like a shirt in the fanart shall be my scapegoat *goes hide in a corner*.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Don't leave

“It’s been a while, Korra.”

“Yeah.”

“I miss you. I mean, I’m talking to you now, but–”

“I know. It’s just not the same, is it?”

“No, it’s not.”

And that was the whole point, really.

 

They sat together on the only patch of ground nearby not covered in dirt and leaves. Trust Korra to find a secluded place to bury her capsule - Asami could really use the privacy right now.

It’d stopped raining for quite a while. The clouds were clear, the sun was out again and the earthy scent after the rain was refreshing enough to brighten the gloomy sky from just minutes earlier.

Normally Asami would have enjoyed it, but sunshines and rainbows weren’t exactly what she was feeling lately.

The weather never seemed to match her moods.

“Talk to me, Asami.”

Her voice hadn’t changed one bit.

Asami didn’t know if that was meant to be comforting or just a cruel joke.

Either way, though.

“I don’t know what to talk about.”

_I don’t know if I could, more like._

“I miss hearing your voice.” A simple reply, yet so full of affection.

Too much like her. Like Korra.

“That’s… supposed to be my line.”

“I know. Sorry. Doesn’t mean I can’t speak the truth though, does it?”

“I wouldn’t be here right now if I wanted the truth.”

“…Sorry.”

“No, I’m not– I’m not blaming you. I guess I just–” Asami waved her hand around helplessly. There was so much to say - and yet. “I miss you. So much. Sometimes I don’t know what to do.”

“I’m still here, though. For what it’s worth.”

“Yeah. In a sense, but–” Tired. So, so tired she didn’t have any strength left to argue, so she cracked a smile instead. “Yeah.”

So close, yet so far out of reach.

Maybe coming here wasn’t such a good idea after all.

Asami bit her lips, all too aware how chapped and cracked they were lately. At least Korra wouldn’t care - between them, there wasn’t anything to touch. So there was that.

Perspective.

Not exactly pleasant, but.

 

“… And then you were like ‘I’ll destroy you!’. And I lost it. Man, I mean, good thing Aiwei was in the spirit world or I’d have lost sight of him the moment you said that.” Korra grinned and turned her head sideway to rest on her forearms, which were in turn folded on her knees. She gave Asami a fond look. “Such a nerd.”

Asami breathed out an embarrassed laugh. “That’s so not fair! I was challenged!”

“Yeah. By Bolin. In a boardgame.”

“Pai Sho is a very serious business.”

“Yeah, well. Whatever you say.” Korra’s eyes blinked lazily. “Still my nerd.”

Asami darted her eyes away as the sight tugged at her heart.

“…Yours.“ She repeated, voice barely a whisper.

 

They were leaning against each other, but not quite.

The urge, the desire to touch her was unbearable.

The wind picked up a few leaves from the ground and toyed with them. Asami could almost believe it was Korra’s little airbending tricks at work. The way they spun in little circles reminded her of the first time she saw Korra on the Pro-bending ring. She’d scored a hat trick on her very first match and never since ceased to amaze her.

It was a long time ago, yet the memory was still so fresh in her mind it felt like it was just yesterday she’d taken Korra out to the racing tracks.

The wind was brutal back then, slapping their faces even through the helmets as they laughed without a care in the world.

 _Spirits_.

What she would give to be able to relive even just one of those days.

Korra was wearing that lopsided grin on her face again, and it was too much like her, too familiar, too… Korra.

 _Her_ Korra.

Asami reached out then, only for her hand to pass through Korra’s body as if she was never there.

The image flicker at her touch, and Asami broke.

This… was never real. She knew that. So well it hurt.

And yet.

“How long do you–”

The question hung in the air between them. She was afraid to even breathe.

“I don’t know. A few minutes? Three, probably five at most.” Korra looked away, as if to spare Asami of the pain in her gaze. Her smile was sad, though, and Asami felt her nose tingle. “This is the old model. You hadn’t yet found a way to include the timing feature by the time I put mine in here.”

As if on cue, Korra - or the image flickered a few more times before gradually shifting in what Asami recognised as the “playback” mode.

She didn’t say anything. It wouldn’t matter much.

“I’m sorry I didn’t give you a proper farewell.” Not-quite-Korra begun. “I never expected the mission to go so wrong. The last thing on my mind was how I wished I could meet you one last time. You deserved better than a stupid fight for our final conversation.”

Asami clenched her jaws shut. It was her final moment and… did she die thinking Asami was still angry at her?

“I’m not–” She sobbed, already struggling to choke out the words she should have said but hadn’t and couldn’t anymore. “I could never…”

“I love you, Asami. I can’t tell you how much I love you. If given another chance, if we could meet in another life, I’d still want to love you no matter what.”

_If only the device didn’t capture Korra’s details so well._

The statue and the park were bad enough, but this Korra had her warm voice, her kind eyes and even her memories.

Asami immediately pulled back the wish.

“I wish I’d told you that more often. You deserve at least a little happiness in your life and I… I wanted to be the one to make you smile until the rest of your days. Not the reason you stop smiling. I never wanted that.”

“Then why aren’t you here?” She asked Korra, asked no one in particular. She almost instinctively reached for Korra’s hands only to remember she couldn’t touch them.

_Spirits._

She had thought she’d cried all her life’s worth of tears over the last month, but apparently that wasn’t the case.

Korra - or the recording - looked straight at her and made a gesture as if wanting to wipe her tears but realised it - _she_ \- couldn’t.

“You’re probably asking me to come back. You are, aren’t you? I know. I would, too, if I were in your place. Hah, the spirit world probably wouldn’t last a day until I found you again. Raava would make such a fit.” Korra joked, probably in an attempt to find some humour in the current situation. “You know I would try to come back if I could, but then my entire body would smell rotten and all around very foul. I doubt you’d enjoy that, and then I’d just die of heartbreak all over again.”

“That’s.. not a good joke.” Asami snorted through her tears. Her face probably looked like a mess. She didn’t care. “And you don’t know about that.”

“Anyway. I know I’ve said this already but - please smile, Asami.” Korra continued quickly, making use of the short time they had left. “I love your smiles. They’re lovely. Never tired of looking at you. Have I told you how much I love seeing you smile? I don’t want to be the reason you stop smiling. I know it’s hard, but you’re strong. Stronger than anyone I’ve ever known. I want you to live and be happy. I’ll wait for you, but don’t follow me just yet. You’ll live for me as well, won’t you?”

Asami didn’t answer as tears clouded her vision. Instead, she fumbled for where she believed Korra’s hand to be, expecting to pass through them when she felt something surprisingly warm against the tips of her fingers. Something else rested on the top of her head and if she didn’t know better, she’d have sworn it was a kiss she felt.

“What if I just want you to stay here with me?” Asami choked back another sob. “I don’t– I don’t– want you to go.“

Something felt like a real, solid hand caressed her cheek. All logic thrown away, Asami hastily grasped at the chance as she gripped Korra’s hand tighter than anything she’d ever held onto in her entire life, too afraid to let it fade away. Even if this was a dream…

A dream wouldn’t hurt this much, would it?

“I can’t.” Korra’s voice was, again, surprisingly shaking as well despite her effort to steady herself. “It’s a new cycle. I’m grateful to have met you, to love you and have you love me back. But I can’t stay any longer.”

“What am I… going to do?” Asami brought her hand up to cover her mouth. All the sobbing and hiccuping were making it harder for her to speak. “I can’t live without you, Korra!”

She felt a strong pair of arms enveloped her in a tight embrace; the kind she had been dreaming about every night only to wake up alone in the morning, all wretched and miserable.

“You can,” Korra said as her body flickered even more, her voice distorted almost to the point of inaudible but somehow Asami understood anyway. “Look for me in my next life, and I’ll look for you in your next. We’ll be– toge–”

“No! Stupid Avatar…” Asami cried out as she realised Korra’s body had almost faded away despite how hard she held onto her hands. “Don’t leave… Not yet…”

And then… it wasn’t a dream, a ghostly sensation, or even a memory - the lips brushing against her felt - _was_ real; as real as the tears that weren’t hers own touched the corner of her mouth with their own salty taste. Asami tried to commit it to her memory, knowing full well it was their last kiss, last touch they’d ever share.

And then it was gone.

“Korra…”

Asami collapsed to the ground, broken and devastated.

She was truly, completely alone now.

At least she got one last chance to see Korra.

Perspective.

Not exactly pleasant, but.

The gentle wind continued to blow and Asami could almost imagine it was Korra - her Korra - doing all those little airbending tricks.

Only, this time the laughters were solely hers, all wet and full of anguish.

_Korra…_

**Author's Note:**

> Some sort of a blend between tech based hologram and spirits... thing, I guess?


End file.
